Fluid substance dispenser

ABSTRACT

The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein is directed to a fluid dispensing device which is usable as a condiment dispenser for such things as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise or the like. The dispensing device has a hand-manipulated flexible housing which is provided with an access opening at the top thereof and an outlet port at the bottom. The access opening is adapted to receive a container which is formed of film material and which supports the fluid substance to be placed into the dispensing device. The container is insertable into the housing so that a nozzle or valve element is positioned at the bottom of the container and fits through the outlet port from where the fluid substance can be dispensed. A check valve member is formed in the housing so that upon manual squeezing of the housing pressure is applied to the film container and the fluid substance is thereby dispensed. Upon releasing hand pressure of the housing, atmospheric pressure is pulled into the housing by opening of the check valve. The dispensing nozzle is formed as part of the film container rather than part of the outer support housing. The nozzle is a single, integral element having a starter passage portion into which an initial quantity of fluid substance flows prior to initial opening of the valve, a seal portion downstream of the starter passage portion which is resiliently opened and closed by the normal elasticity of the material forming the nozzle, and a dispensing end completely closeable so that the fluid substance is not left about the nozzle when the upstream seal is in a closed condition.

United States Patent [191 Splan Sept. 24, 1974 FLUID SUBSTANCE DISPENSER[76] Inventor: Robert E. Splan, 900 E. Wilmette Rd., Palatine, Ill.60067 [22] Filed: June 16, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 263,465

Primary Examiner-Allen N. Knowles Assistant Examiner-John P. ShannonAttorney, Agent, or Firm-Olson, Trexler, Wolters, Bushnell & Fosse, Ltd.

[5 7] ABSTRACT The embodiment of the invention disclosed herein isdirected to a fluid dispensing device which is usable as a condimentdispenser for such things as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise or the like.The dispensing device has a hand-manipulated flexible housing which isprovided with an access opening at the top thereof and an outlet port atthe bottom. The access opening is adapted to receive a container whichis formed of film material and which supports the fluid substance to beplaced into the dispensing device. The container is insertable into thehousing so that a nozzle or valve element is positioned at the bottom ofthe container and fits through the outlet port from where the fluidsubstance can be dispensed. A check valve member is formed in thehousing so that upon manual squeezing of the housing pressure is appliedto the film container and the fluid substance is thereby dispensed. Uponreleasing hand pressure of the housing, atmospheric pressure is pulledinto the housing by opening of the check valve. The dispensing nozzle isformed as part of the film container rather than part of the outersupport housing. The nozzle is a single, integral element having astarter passage portion into which an initial quantity of fluidsubstance flows prior to initial opening of the valve, a seal portiondownstream of the starter passage portion which is resiliently openedand closed by the normal elasticity ofv the material forming the nozzle,and a dispensing end completely closeable so that the fluid substance isnot left about the nozzle when the upstream seal is in a closedcondition.

3 Claims, 9 Drawing Figures PATENTED 2 74 sum '1 m: z

FLUID SUBSTANCE DISPENSER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This inventionrelates generally to containers, and more particularly to fluidcondiment dispensers for receiving fluid substances such as ketchup,mustard, mayonnaise, and the like.

Heretofore, dispensers such as ketchup and mustard dispensers used inrestaurants, food counters, and homes have been made of flexible plasticor rubber material so that the fluid substance therein is readilydispensed under pressure upon squeezing the outer walls of the flexiblecontainer. Generally the dispensing nozzle of this type of container islocated at the top and it is necessary to invert the container and shakedown a quantity of fluid substance into the nozzle before squeezing thesame. Furthermore, the nozzle has a small opening continuously vented toatmosphere so that when used for ketchup, for example, oxidization ofthe tomato substance in the ketchup causes blackening thereof.Therefore, it is necessary to frequently clean the interior of thedispenser so that accumulated bacteria will not cause spoilage of newfluid substances in the containers.

While these types of prior art dispenser units have the advantage ofbeing made of flexible, nonbreakable material and are relativelyinexpensive to manufacture, they have the distinct disadvantage ofbecoming readily contaminated through normal use by the contaminationwithin the atmosphere as well as the oxidization problem mentionedabove. To eliminate such contamination problems, it is necessary tocompletely seal the interior of the container from the atmosphere.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of this inventionto provide a new and improved fluid substance dispenser unit which canreceive fluid substances such as fluid condiments as ketchup, mustardand mayonnaise, and the like, and which can be used in restaurants, onfood counters or in the home.

Another object of this invention is to provide a dispensing nozzle foruse with a fluid substance dispenser which completely seals the interiorof the container from atmospheric conditions while at the same timeallowing ready dispensing of such fluid substances without the need ofopening covers or lids or the like.

Another object of this invention is to provide a fluid substancedispenser for condiments which is maintained clean and sanitary duringthe normal use thereof.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a fluid substancecontainer which is efficient and reliable in use and which is simple andrelatively inexpensive to manufacture.

A feature of this invention is the use of a separate fluid substancehand-manipulated housing and a separate insertable film materialcontainer therefor, wherein the film material container can be either ofthe reusable or of the disposable type.

Briefly, the fluid substance container of this invention includes ahandmanipulated housing having an access opening formed at the topthereof and an outlet port formed through a relatively thick bottomwall. An insertable container is formed of a thin flexible film materialand receives therein the fluid substance which is to be dispensed. Theinsertable container has secured thereto and formed as an integral parttherewith a nozzle member which is located at the bottom of thecontainer and inserted through the outlet port of the housing.Preferably the nozzle extends through a recessed portion of the bottomwall of the housing but at no time comes in contact with the surfaceupon which the container rests.

Most advantageously, the nozzle is a single integral unit having threedistinctive series fluid communication portions, one portion being astarter passage portion, a second portion being a seal portionintermediate the nozzle, and the third portion being a terminating ordispensing end from which the fluid substance ultimately is dispensed.The nozzle is made of a flexible material sufficiently yieldable underpressure produced by hand-squeezing of the housing so as to cause thefluid substance to pass from the starter passage portion into the sealportion and therefrom out of the dispensing end portion. The materialforming the nozzle is also sufficiently yieldable in a retractable senseso that the seal portion of the nozzle becomes fully closed in such amanner as to insure that all material in the nozzle is squeezedtherefrom by either completely dispensing from the end or urging thefluid back through the nozzle into the starter passage portion fromwhence it came. This insures that no fluid substance is accumulatedabout the nozzle and therefore the contamination of the fluid substanceis prevented.

Accordingly, many other objects, features and advantages of thisinvention will be more fully realized and understood from the followingdetailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings wherein like reference numerals throughout the various views ofthe drawings are intended to designate similar elements or components.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an elevational viewillustrating a fluid dispensing device constructed in accordance withthe principles of this invention and which can be used to dispense fluidcondiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise and the like;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the dispenser unit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an exploded view showing the various components, i.e., thehand-manipulated outer housing, the inner container formed of filmmaterial for supporting the fluid substance, and the nozzle and portarrangement which eliminates contamination of the substance at thenozzle;

FIG. 4 is a section view taken along line 4-4 of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view of a nozzle con structed inaccordance with the principles of this invention and is shown in itsclosed seal condition;

FIG. 7 shows the nozzle of FIG. 6 and is shown in its opened conditionfor passing fluid material therethrough;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary top view of the nozzle and a portionof the film container thereabout; and

FIG. 9 is an enlarged fragmentary view showing one form of check valvearrangement which can be used to cause pressure equalization within thehousing during use thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT Referring now toFIGS. 1, 2 and 3 there is seen a fluid dispensing device constructed inaccordance with the principles of this invention and designatedgenerally by reference numeral 10. The fluid dispensing device 10 isparticularly useful for dispensing fluid substances of relatively thickconsistency, and has the further particular advantage of being extremelyuseful for dispensing condiment fluids such as ketchup, mustard ormayonnaise and the like. The fluid dispensing device 10 is formed of ahand-manipulated flexible housing 11 preferably of pliable plasticmaterial such as polyethylene, plasticized polyvinylchloride, or thelike, and readily expands or retreats to its normal position, as shownin the drawing, when hand pressure is released from the outer wall ofthe housing. A most convenient configuration of the housing 11 iscylindrical so that it can be readily gripped between the fingers andthumb and squeezed when used. The housing 11 includes an access opening12 formed at the top thereof and is provided with thread means forreceiving a threaded cover 13 for sealing the housing after a quantityof condiment fluid is placed therein. The condiment fluid is dispensedfrom the bottom of the housing through a nozzle 18 extending through therecessed portion 150 of the bottom wall 15.

In accordance with one of the novel aspects of this invention alightweight flexible sheet or film material forms a container 16 whichhas a filler opening 17 at the top through which the condiment fluid isinserted when filling or refilling the container 16. At the bottom ofthe container 16 there is provided a nozzle structure 18 clampinglyengaging the film material forming the container by means of a pair ofradially outwardly extending flange sections 19a and 19b placed onopposite sides of the sheet material which forms the container. Thenozzle 18 is insertable into the outlet port 14 when the container isinserted through the access opening 12. To facilitate location of theoutlet port 14, and also the nozzle 18 inserted therein, the housing 11is fashioned with the access opening 12 thereof offset from the centerof the housing in a direction diametrically opposed to the peripheraledge at which the outlet port 14 is formed. Therefore, the user of thecondiment dispenser can pretty well determine the exact location fromwhich the condiment will be dispensed by merely looking at the generalconfiguration and the position of the cover 13 relative to the housingcenter line. However, it will be understood that other configurationscan be utilized to facilitate locating the dispensing nozzle withoutnecessitating the need of turning the housing upside-down to visuallylocate the same. One novel means as contemplated by this invention is tolocate a check valve opening in the top of the housing directly over thelocation of the nozzle 18 so the viewing of the check valve opening willindicate exactly where the nozzle is positioned. Since the dispensingnozzle is located at the bottom of the dispensing device and thecondiment fluid, or other fluid substance, is at all times directeddownwardly due to gravitational force, dispensable fluid is at all timesin direct fluid contact with the nozzle and shaking down of the fluid,as heretofore required with prior dispensing devices, is not needed.

While the container 16 shown in FIG. 3 is indicated as substantiallycylindrical in its removed position, it will be understood that itscylindrical configuration is primarily controlled by the fact that it isembraced by the inner walls of the housing 11. Referring now to FIG. 4the assembled condition of the dispensing device 10 is shown in crosssection and the flexible container 16 will have the bottom portionthereof substantially in conformity with the inner wall surfaceconfiguration of the bottom wall 15. That is, the bottom 16a of thecontainer 16 will have a downwardly sloped major area portion inconformity with a downwardly sloped major area portion 15a whichterminates in a substantially horizontal portion 1512 through which theoutlet port 14 is formed. This downwardly sloped configuration of thebottom wall insures that fluid substance is at all times directed towardthe nozzle 18. This is best illustrated in FIG. 5 which shows the nozzlebeing placed close to the periphery of the housing 11 through the outletport 14 formed in the reduced area flattened section 15b.

Another advantageous feature of the present invention is the fact thatthe extent of the nozzle 18 is less than the thickness of the wall 15 inthe region of the minor area portion 15b so that the dispensing endportion 23 of the nozzle at no time comes in contact with the surfaceupon which the fluid dispensing device is positioned. This furtherinsures contaminant-free dispensing of condiment fluids from thedispensing device 10 Referring now to FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 the details ofconstruction of the nozzle, as contemplated by the novel aspects of thisinvention, are shown. The nozzle 18 is formed of moldable resilientmaterial such as plastic or rubber and has the radially outwardlyextending flange portions 19a and 19b engaging the sheet material of thecontainer 16 and may be secured thereto either by crimping or adhesive,as desired, to provide a fluid tight seal therebetween. The nozzle 18includes three distinct operating areas beginning with an annularlytapered starter passage portion 21 into which a quantity of fluidsubstance will flow under the force of gravity. The starter passageportion 21 is in series fluid communication with a seal portion 22formed by diametrically opposed flat wall sections abutting one anotherand urged together under the inherent resilient force within theflexible material forming the nozzle. The seal portion 22 extendscompletely to the dispensing end portion 23 from which the fluidsubstance is ultimately dispensed. In operation, pressure is applied tothe interior of the container 16 by squeezing the housing 11. Thispressure then causes an initial quantity of fluid substance to travelfrom the starter passage portion 21 into the seal portion 22, as shownin FIG. 7, and the flow of uidsubs anss will swin as 9m stthe ss re, iapplied. Upon release of hand pressure froin the housing 11, thediametrically opposed flat wall portions forming the seal 22 will cometogether along the entire length thereof so as to squeeze any quantityof fluid substance therein either completely out of the nozzle, i.e.,toward the dispensing end portion 23, or back up into the starterpassage portion 21. Therefore, all of the fluid substance, particularlythat of ketchup which oxidizes in air, is expelled from the nozzle sothat a sanitary condition is maintained at all times.

To insure that pressure buildup in the housing 11 is maintained duringmanual squeezing of the housing and pressure decline occurs upon releaseof the housing, check valve means 25 is provided at the top wall of thehousing to allow no passage of air from the housing upon squeezing andto allow passage of air into the housing upon release thereof tocompensate for the volume of fluid substance dispensed from the nozzle18. As best illustrated in FIG. 9 there is seen an enlarged detailedshowing of the check valve 25. The check valve 25 may include anaperture 26 formed in the top wall of the housing and further include aresiliently movable arm 27 positioned adjacent the aperture which has aprotuberance 28 formed thereon, or secured thereto, to extend into theaperture 26 and form a seal therewith. The area of the arm 27 is suchthat it will be urged upwardly so that the protuberance 28 is firmlyinserted into the aperture 26 during manual squeezing of the housing 11thus insuring that all pressure exerted by manual manipulation will bedirected onto the outer surface of the container 16 which, in turn, willurge the fluid substance therein through the nozzle 18. The resilientlymovable arm 27 is sufficiently flexible so that even slight handpressure on the outside of the housing 11 will increase the pressuretherein completely to seal the aperture 26. Upon release of the handpressure on the housing 11 the resiliently movable arm 27, together withthe protuberance 28 formed thereon, will move downwardly, as shown bybroken lines, to allow air, at atmospheric pressure, to enter thehousing. Preferably the location of the aperture 26 is directly abovethe outlet port 14 so that the exact location of the dispensing nozzleis known to the user thereof merely by looking at the top of thehousing.

In accordance with one novel aspect of this invention the fluidsubstance, as for example ketchup, within the container 16 is at alltimes urged toward the nozzle 14 under the force of gravity while thedispensing unit is in a rest condition on a counter or tabletop.Therefore, no shaking down of fluid substance is necessary prior todispensing of the same. In an alternate configuration of the inventiondisclosed herein, the dispensing bag 16 and and nozzle 14 can be formedas an integral unit, as for example by molding or the like. The top ofthe dispensing bag can be folded over so that no air can get into thecontainer 16, or the top 17 of the bag 16 can be knotted as shown byreference numeral 17a. Furthermore, the bag can be sealed by heatsealing or the like after a quantity of fluid substance has beenpackaged therein, this preferably being the case where the container 16is'of the disposable type and purchased with prefilled quantities ofcondiment fluid, such as ketchup, mustard and mayonnaise, or otherfluid.

Since the container 16 is of a flexible film material it will collapseabout the fluid substance therein during dispensing of the fluidsubstance so that no air comes in contact with the fluid substancecontained therein. When the container 16 is to be of the refillable typeit is removed from the housing 11 and cleaned if necessary and aquantity of fluid substance inserted through the opening 17 and the topof the container is then either folded over or knotted as shown in FIG.4. The container is then inserted into the housing with the nozzle 18extending into the outlet port 14. As mentioned above it is preferredthat the nozzle 18 be shorter than the thickness of the wall throughwhich the outlet port 14 is formed so that the dispensing end 23 of thenozzle does not come in contact with the counter surface or tablesurface upon which the dispenser unit rests. This is of particularinterest when used for condiments. It will be understood that the nozzlecan be of the same I extent as the thickness of the wall, or evenlonger, and

legs can be provided at the bottom of the housing to maintain thecontainer in a raised condition over the surface upon which it rests.

After the filled container 16 is inserted into the housing 11 the cover13 is screwed in position over the access opening to provide an airtightseal with the top of the housing. As the housing 11 is manually squeezedto increase the pressure therein, the fluid substance within thecontainer 16 is correspondingly placed under pressure and will issuefrom the nozzle 18. This will be accompanied with simultaneous collapseof the container 16 so that the air volume within the housing about thecontainer will increase as the fluid substance in the containerdecreases. In use the dispensing unit 10 is held over the food toreceive the condiment therein and the housing is manually squeezed oneor more times and for as long as is necessary to dispense the desiredquantity of condiment fluid. Upon release of the housing 11 the arm 27,together with the protuberance 28 formed thereon, will move downwardly,as shown by the broken line, to allow air to enter the housing 11.Preferably the location of the aperture 26 is directly above the outletport 14 so that the exact location of the dispensing nozzle is knownmerely by looking at the top of the housing.

Therefore, it can be seen that the fluid dispensing device of thisinvention has particular utility when used for dispensing condimentfluid such as ketchup, mustard or mayonnaise, as well as other fluidsnot related to food products. Accordingly, variations and modificationsof this invention may be effected without departing from the spirit andscope of the novel concepts disclosed and claimed herein.

The invention is claimed as follows:

1. In a fluid dispensing device the combination comprising: a housing ofresilient material having an access opening and an outlet port, acontainer formed of flexible film material for receiving therein aquantity of fluid substance to be dispensed, said container beingreadily insertable into said housing through said access opening, and anozzle secured to and forming part of said container and insertable intosaid outlet port of said housing, whereby squeezing said housing willapply pressure to the outer surface of said container to dispense thefluid substance therein through said nozzle, said access opening beingformed at the top of said housing and said outlet port being formedthrough a bottom wall of said housing, the interior surface of thebottom wall of said housing having a major area thereof inclineddownwardly and a minor area thereof oriented substantially parallel tothe outside surface of said bottom wall, said outlet port being formedin said minor area, whereby fluid substance in said container is at alltimes directed down the inclined surface toward said nozzle to providean initial quantity of fluid substance within said nozzle, said housingincluding check valve means formed in the top wall of said housing toallow pressure buildup within the housing upon squeezing the same and toallow entrace of atmospheric air therethrough when releasing thesqueezing pressure on said housing, thereby allowing rapid expansion ofsaid housing to its normal configuration after dispensing a givenquantity of the fluid substance, said check valve means including anaperture formed in the top wall of said housing, an arm secured to thetop wall of said housing and displaced from said aperture, said armextending toward said aperture, and a protuberance extending upwardlyfrom said arm and engaging the periphery of said aperture to form a sealtherewith upon squeezing of said housing and wherein atmosphericpressure will urge said protuberance and said arm away from saidaperture to allow atmospheric air to enter said housing.

2. In the fluid dispensing device of claim 1 wherein the bottom portionof said housing has a predetermined depth and wherein said nozzle onsaid container extends through said outlet port and is of a length lessthan the depth of said bottom portion of said housing so as not to comein direct contact with the surface upon which the dispensing device ispositioned.

3. In a fluid dispensing device the combination comprising: a housing ofresilient material having means providing access to the interior thereofand an outlet port, and a container readily insertable into the interiorof said housing and formed of flexible film material for receivingtherein a quantity of fluid substance to be dispensed, said containerhaving a filler opening to be sealed for isolating said substance and anozzle secured to and forming part of said container and insertable intosaid outlet port whereby squeezing said housing will apply pressure tothe outer surface of said container to dispense the fluid substancetherein through said nozzle, said device further including check valvemeans formed in said housing and opening into said housing spaced fromsaid container to allow pressure buildup within the housing uponsqueezing the same and to allow entrance of atmospheric air therethroughwhen releasing the squeezing pressure on said housing, thereby allowingrapid expansion of said housing to its normal configuration afterdispensing a given quantity of the fluid substance, said check valvemeans including an aperture formed in a wall of said housing, an armsecured to said housing wall and displaced from said aperture andextending toward said aperture, and a protuberance extending from saidarm and engaging the periphery of said aperture to form a seal therewithupon squeezing of said housing and wherein atmospheric pressure willurge said protuberance and said arm away from said aperture to allowatmospheric air to enter said housing.

1. In a fluid dispensing device the combination comprising: a housing ofresilient material having an access opening and an outlet port, acontainer formed of flexible film material for receiving therein aquantity of fluid substance to be dispensed, said container beingreadily insertable into said housing through said access opening, and anozzle secured to and forming part of said container and insertable intosaid outlet port of said housing, whereby squeezing said housing willapply pressure to the outer surface of said container to dispense thefluid substance therein through said nozzle, said access opening beingformed at the top of said housing and said outlet port being formedthrough a bottom wall of said housing, the interior surface of thebottom wall of said housing having a major area thereof inclineddownwardly and a minor area thereof oriented substantially parallel tothe outside surface of said bottom wall, said outlet port being formedin said minor area, whereby fluid substance in said container is at alltimes directed down the inclined surface toward said nozzle to providean initial quantity of fluid substance within said nozzle, said housingincluding check valve means formed in the top wall of said housing toallow pressure buildup within the housing upon squeezing the same and toallow entrace of atmospheric air therethrough when releasing thesqueezing pressure on said housing, thereby allowing rapid expansion ofsaid housing to its normal configuration after dispensing a givenquantity of the fluid substance, said check valve means including anaperture formed in the top wall of said housing, an arm secured to thetop wall of said housing and displaced from said aperture, said armextending toward said aperture, and a protuberance extending upwardlyfrom said arm and engaging the periphery of said aperture to form a sealtherewith upon squeezing of said housing and wherein atmosphericpressure will urge said protuberance and said arm away from saidaperture to allow atmospheric air to enter said housing.
 2. In the fluiddispensing device of claim 1 wherein the bottom portion of said housinghas a predetermined depth and wherein said nozzle on said containerextends through said outlet port and is of a length less than the depthof said bottom portion of said housing so as not to come in directcontact with the surface upon which the dispensing device is positioned.3. In a fluid dispensing device the combination comprising: a housing ofresilient material having means providing access to the interior thereofand an outlet port, and a container readily insertable into the interiorof said housing and formed of flexible film material for receivingtherein a quantity of fluid substance to be dispensed, said containerhaving a filler opening to be sealed for isolating said substance and anozzle secured to and Forming part of said container and insertable intosaid outlet port whereby squeezing said housing will apply pressure tothe outer surface of said container to dispense the fluid substancetherein through said nozzle, said device further including check valvemeans formed in said housing and opening into said housing spaced fromsaid container to allow pressure buildup within the housing uponsqueezing the same and to allow entrance of atmospheric air therethroughwhen releasing the squeezing pressure on said housing, thereby allowingrapid expansion of said housing to its normal configuration afterdispensing a given quantity of the fluid substance, said check valvemeans including an aperture formed in a wall of said housing, an armsecured to said housing wall and displaced from said aperture andextending toward said aperture, and a protuberance extending from saidarm and engaging the periphery of said aperture to form a seal therewithupon squeezing of said housing and wherein atmospheric pressure willurge said protuberance and said arm away from said aperture to allowatmospheric air to enter said housing.